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It’s probably fair to say that the information, communications and technology (ICT) industry is littered with the corpses of failed joint ventures, business partnerships and strategic collaborations that never quite achieved the ambitions of the parties involved. It’s an important remind...

In a recent Heavy Reading blog (reprinted below) on Three UK’s new approach to assurance for their fully integrated cloud native core network – a world first – it is clear that leading CSPs are integrating evolved and state-of-the-art assurance capabilities from the very beginning ...

Secondary or sub-brands are certainly nothing new in the mobile communications industry. Indeed, many mobile operators have used one or several sub-brands to target different sections of the market, with varying degrees of success.
In recent years, sub-brands have become an important tool f...

From reading the latest headlines in the media, you would think that the only things telcos care about right now are 5G, NFV/SDN and IoT devices. While this may be valid for the upper echelons of mobile and fixed network operators, it is not the case for many telcos. Indeed, a large number of them a...

QoS Challenges in the NFV/5G networks
NFV-core based 5G networks have already caught the fancy of the Telco Cloud service provider. The reasons for this are its promise of high QoS.
High speed/throughput, high reliability, low latency, high capacity, high availability, high connectivity and dynam...

The ability to make and receive calls is the lifeblood of any customer-facing enterprise, while conventional fixed telephony systems are becoming something of an anachronism as people now favour mobile devices. The question that most SMEs should now be asking their IT departments is: do we still nee...

Digitization of businesses and virtualization of networks promise business benefits but are also introducing new challenges for the communications service providers.
Ongoing exponential increase in data consumption by subscribers, especially of video applications and OTT, has taken a toll on the ...

As the SDN and NFV train steams further on its journey towards network revolution, has the industry stopped to consider the wider impact? Is the infrastructure in place to serve the demands of the new system?
Trials continue with a bout of enthusiasm for the potential of SDN and NFV, which ...

Coming out and ranting against federated inventory has been interesting given the amount of anonymous feedback I have received. Anyone wanting to talk about it, let’s connect at TMF next week!
First, any reasonable order management or workflow product out there regardless of federated data ...

Communications service providers (CSPs) have, over many years, become besotted by different forms of assurance. I’m not talking about insurance here; it’s more about making sure things work properly they way they were designed to and the way customers expect them to work.
Depending on...

Supply and demand is the most important relationship between operators and users. It is also a relationship that is now undergoing a profound change because of one single development: the fact that today’s users are always connected to a smartphone or tablet.
As well as being “always ...

Changing the Channel

The market for connected products and services is fiercely competitive. Regardless of geography or product, competitors are everywhere and there is a growing need for operators to align themselves with retail and consumer business partners. That translates to sales channels. Retail outlets, contact centers, and web stores are run by the operator while the corner store, partner outlets, and any number of on-line retailers are willing and able to sell connected products offered by service providers. And all of these channels require the same things – access to a product catalog, order management, fulfillment, and payments.

Many customers use a combination of store visits – to see and try out devices; on-line research – to understand offers and pricing plans available through various channels; and then ultimately end up on the phone with the contact center to finish the deal. The most common sales channel remains the call center. Would-be customers want to talk to a knowledgeable sales person that can answer questions and provide assistance. The ability to move from one channel to another without having to start over each time saves the customer valuable time, reduces frustration, and benefits the operator as each customer experience is captured and analyzed to improve business processes, sales training, and service quality.

So, it would follow that it is more efficient for operators to implement a single BSS solution with the flexibility to support any type of on-line or physical sales channel – but they don’t. Granted, most large retailers have their own catalogs (often separate for on-line and physical locations) and connected products from any service provider become additional product codes. But for the operator that has BSS with open interfaces, interoperability is not a problem. There is no need for yet another instance of a product catalog whether supporting Joe’s Corner Store or Harrod’s of London.

Next, partners and employees alike need the support of an agile product catalog and integrated order management to offer and deliver the products and support that customers desire when they hit ‘enter’ or before they leave the store. Offers that are “today only” or “only available on-line” must be accurately represented and activated without delay. If an order is tossed over the wall to the operator for fulfillment; validation and activation must be rapid, automated, and secure.

And everybody needs to get paid. Accurate calculation of commissions, premium payments, sales tracking, and performance are all necessary components for settlement. Management of on-site personnel, training, promotions, and performance reporting are necessary; as are the distribution of on-site materials and logistics associated with maintaining physical inventory.

Last, but hardly least, it matters what the customers think. Questions require thorough and accurate answers. Complaints require follow-up and evaluation to improve the quality of service regardless of sales channel. Surveys, follow-up emails, promoter scoring, along with basic statistics like wait times and response times all contribute to the customer experience and isn’t that what it’s all about?